Reemergence
by N7Bane
Summary: Isaac's death leaves everyone crushed. But, it has effects no one could have expected. Character death, and other such warnings.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:Nope, I don't own Camelot, Golden Sun, or Nintendo. I wish I did.

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_Reemergence__ Chapter One:_

_Not again._

That was what ran through Ivan's mind, as he saw Jenna again, drunk off her ass, tossing herself around worse than a Tolban hooker.

Everyday since Isaac's death, Jenna had been at the local bar from sun-up to sun-down, and then some after that.

True, Isaac's death had been hard on everyone, but Jenna had taken the hardest blow.

Garet had taken up gambling. He was in with some bad people, and it didn't help that his temper flared every time they met.

Mia didn't know. She had gone back to Lemuria with Piers, to train with _true_ Mercury adepts. Likewise, Piers also remained blissfully unaware of this sad truth.

Felix had stayed locked up for a couple days. Losing his childhood friend will make you not want to see anyone. Like, EVER. But he didn't say there. Last Ivan had heard, he was in Tolbi, and wasn't there for the wine. Apparently, there was a warrant out for his arrest, accusing him of the murder of over 11 people.

In fact, the only people who remained even moderately sane were the two Jupiter adepts, Ivan and Sheba. The only hypothesis they had to describe this was that, as Jupiter adepts, they were less attached to worldly matters and, in turn, people in the world. Not to say they couldn't like, love, or hate – Just that they accepted Death as something natural.

Because this story will make more sense from the beginning, that's where it will start.

Things began to decline soon after the fall of Mt. Aleph. After discussing matters in Vault, our heroes made the plans to rebuild Vale, not far from its original site. Felix and Isaac and Garet were the most enthusiastic about this plan, and Ivan got excited too. Sheba was happy too, that her friends' homes could be rebuilt. Piers was happy for them, but had to return home, however temporarily. Mia was more excited about the opportunity to go to the home of Mercury, and they left together soon after.

Three months into construction, and about a quarter of the village had been restored. The inn-slash-tavern had been rebuilt. And that is about as far as construction got.

The great saviors had been called back to the Karagol Sea – apparently, the old Kraken had itself an entire family, and they were on a rampage. So, they did what any self-respecting hero would have done, and went in aid of those in need.

Arriving at the dock, they immediately found it to be under siege. Three Krakens, all bigger than a ship, were whipping, throwing, and generally making a mess of things.

Engaging a fight with those beasts, unwise as it may have been, the group did it anyway. Using their greatest psynergies, they were quickly defeated, although they were exhausted from doing so. Resting, they would sail out the following day.

The next morning, Sean and Ouranos had appeared to help out. They, along with Felix and Isaac, tool their own ship to Tolbi docks, while Garet, Jenna, Ivan, and Sheba took another ship.

The ships traveled side by side for sometime before they encountered problems. The wind picked up, and big, heavy and gray rain clouds gathered above. Instead of rain hitting hull, it was hail, and instead of lightning hitting the water, it seemed as if Ivan and Sheba had been using_Spark Plasma_ very generously.

The storm forced them to make anchor, but that didn't help. In the middle of the night, they were assaulted by 2 more Kraken, who appeared to be the last of them, but they were colossal – Bigger than Dullahan, at least.

The battle ensued, and it appeared to be over quickly – and not in a good way. The Kraken had nearly annihilated Sean's boat, and had saved Jenna's for later. It seemed as if all were lost, until the four did something…_drastic_. First, Isaac summoned Megiddo, a feat by itself. Then, both Isaac and Felix used _Odyssey_ on the beast, each hitting at an angle from the eye to the brain. Ouranos launched Sean into the air and he performed a move similar to _Planet Diver_ into the beast's head, and it sank to the bottom of the sea floor.

Unfortunately, there was one left. This is where the extreme measures kick in.

You see, with Alchemy unleashed, Djinni are unneeded, because you can perform the same feats without them. Including summons. And they were significantly more powerful too, but you know what they say: Great power comes with great responsibility.

Ignoring that rule, Isaac did something foolish. He used his own power to summon Judgment. If the strain on his spirit hadn't been enough, what happened next would kill him for sure. And indeed, it did.

For you see, with Alchemy unleashed, summons could be exponentially stronger.

Ivan didn't see exactly what happened, only that a great, colossal being floated above them all, and dropped the greatest bomb one would ever see. Crashing down, the Kraken all but disintegrated into nothing, but the blast didn't stop there. It blew Sean's boat to bits. The shockwave created a large wave, rocking Jenna's boat back and forth.

The passengers of the other ship were blown skyward, and landed far away. All but one. A burnt body floated in the water beside the boat, draped with a large, red scarf.

Felix, on the other hand, saw exactly what happened, and watched Isaac fry, directly before being sent flying through the air, he landed face-p, and floated. He made no effort to swim anywhere, because he felt no desire to live. He had just seen his best friend _cook_. Washing on Crossbone Isle, he soon realized that Sean and Ouranos had expired as well. As soon as he had the will, he ventured into the cave, and eventually resurrected the ship of Deadbeard, and sailed to Tolbi docks, unbeknownst to the others, and began his life of crime.

On sight of his body, Jenna wept for Isaac. She wept and wept, and then wept some more. Jumping into the water, Garet dragged his body back onto the boat, so he could be buried in the ground, where any true Venus adept would want to be.

Sailing back to Kalay, the group grew a procession, gathering more people as they continued their journey back to Vale.

The funeral was simple, yet grand. Everyone he had ever met, the ones that liked him anyway, all were present. He was buried in a majestic marble coffin, engraved with images of the lighthouses surrounding Mt. Aleph, underneath Golden Sun

And so, back to how we started, Ivan looked on Jenna, rolling with laughter, and smelling of Proxian whiskey. She attempted to walk off with two guys and some girl, but passed out on the way. They left her.

_Dear Jupiter, please. Not again._

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	2. Felix's Descent

Disclaimer:Nope, I don't own Camelot, Golden Sun, or Nintendo. I wish I did.

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_Chapter Two:_Felix's Descent 

_Damned rat._

Felix ran up one street, down one alley, and slipped into another. Waiting there was his contact, Josef Kratz.

At 5' 6", 130 pounds, he didn't look like much, but what he lacked in strength he gained back in being a slimy, buttery, weasel-like man who could get any information from anywhere.

Looking up from his watch, he said to Felix,"Right on time."

"What did you find?"

He snorted. "An empty apartment. Apparently, he knew you were on to 'im."

"Any idea where he was going?"

"He's not very smart. He's probably in the building over, thinking he's clever, and you'll never find him. I can assure you he's still in town."

"Thanks. And Z?"

Felix called him "Z", because the last person to call him Josef had wound up dead in their bedroom. Of natural causes, of course.

"Yeah?"

"If you see him, slit his throat."


	3. Mia's Discovery

Disclaimer:Nope, I don't own Camelot, Golden Sun, or Nintendo. I wish I did.

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_Chapter Three:_Mia's Discovery 

_7:00_**Wake up**

_7:15_**: Get out of the shower**

_7:20_**: Find letter describing Isaac's death.**

_Wait, what?_

Reading the letter through twice, she realized this was no joke. It had been sent some three weeks ago, telling of the mission, the watery death, and the earthy burial. By the time she cast the letter away, it was falling apart, wet from tears.

Running from the house that had been provided for her by the Lemurian senate, now 100 Conservato free, she made her way as quickly as possible to where Piers slept at night.

I say that he slept there at night, because that's about the only time he spent there. He was constantly busy helping to construct new ships. As of the rebirth of alchemy,the Lemurian public was considerably less xenophobic, and more than willing to sail the seas.

As I say, Piers was generally very busy, and Mia would not have been surprised if she had been forced to go look for him in the king's chambers, as they were currently deep in consideration on the new "style" of Lemurian sea-craft. Fortunately, Piers answered first knock, and looked somewhat surprised when Mia rushed into his arms, sobbing her eyes dry.

"Um…Hello, Mia, I was just about to—"

"Piers! It's horrible! Isaac! He—He—He's dead!"

Succumbing to racking sobs, she couldn't get out another discernible word, besides "horrible", and "Should have been there!"

Piers took her inside, hoping she didn't mind the Spartan décor, and set her on his couch. Standing up, he went and made her some tea, and sent a carrier pigeon off to tell the king that he'd have to work on the design alone today. Returning to the living room to a still-crying Mia, he set the tray down, poured her a cup of tea, then sat beside her and draped his arm over her shoulder.

_ISAAC!_


	4. The Journey Home Begins

Disclaimer:Nope, I don't own Camelot, Golden Sun, or Nintendo. I wish I did.

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_Chapter Four:_The Journey Home begins 

_Mia…_

Piers sat in the parlor, waiting for Mia to finish packing her things. They would be leaving as soon as possible, to go and pay their respects.

It had been three days since Mia had gotten the message. It had been three days since she'd shown up at his door, crying. It had been three days since her cheeks had been dry.

Hearing Mia's door close, Piers stood up. He had a ship waiting, courtesy of His Majesty, King Hydros. They were to go together, as always they did. He didn't trust Mia to be alone with herself at the moment, anyway.

She walked down puffy-eyed, carrying three bags of her things. As a healer, she had always been taught that personal effects weren't important, but that didn't mean she heeded such advice. As quickly as he could, Piers grabbed all three bags for her, and beckoned her to lead the way.

Hardly anyone in Lemuria knew about Isaac's death. Those who did thought it tragic, but didn't spare it a second thought. The only other person who seemed affected was the king, whom had respected Isaac, although he had only dealt with Felix.

Walking through the misty city, the pair encountered nearly no one. After all, it was 11:00 at night, and Lemurians don't party.

Arriving at the docks, Piers wished they weren't so…gloomy. A dank, damp, slimy cave wasn't what Mia needed at the moment.

Standing in front of the top-of-the-line, hot-off-the-press Lemurian Luxury Cruiser, Piers hoped this would be enough comfort to cheer her up, a little bit at least.

The ship was colossal, at least compared to any of the other ships in that day and age. It was twice the size of the old ships. It was a lavish purple and blue beast, complete with floors and floors of rooms, restaurants, and even an inn. Of course, it was just the two companions and Piers' crew, so the nothing, even the gift shop, would be manned.

Walking onboard, Piers took Mia's belongings to her cabin. Returning to the deck, he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her again, hoping to cheer her up.

_What kind of misfortune is this? The day after we get engaged, we get news of Isaac's death. What kind of cruel universe do we live in?_

It was true. Four nights previous, Piers had taken Mia to the beach, which had recently been restored with the rebirth of alchemy, under the pretense of showing her a special move, developed by Lemurians. Well, it was special, alright. He had had those words, so often used, yet the every woman's dream to hear – "Will you marry me?" – carved out of ice, and hidden underwater. Then, when the time was right, he had conjured the message up, and had received the most passionate kiss he could have imagined. The next time he'd seen her, she'd been in tears.

_I love you, Mia._


	5. Garet the Gambler

Disclaimer:Nope, I don't own Camelot, Golden Sun, or Nintendo. I wish I did.

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_Chapter Five:_Garet the Gambler 

_Bust! How could I bust? How much am I down now? Oh, Mars…_

Garet looked at the Blackjack deck in disgust. How could it betray him at such a crucial moment? His look of disgust turned to horror as he realized what was going to happen.

_What am I going to do? I don't have twenty grand!_

He looked around at his opponents, so happy, doing what they loved – making money. Garet did the only thing he could do. And the one thing he shouldn't have. He jumped up, fistful of fire, and yelled out, "Garet is leaving the building!" and threw the fireball down on the table as hard as he could, effectively breaking it in two. Conjuring up two more fireballs, he threw them, and watched as they flew around in circles, trapping those who would hinder his escape.

And escape he did. Running out the door, he shouted, "yippee-kai ya!' and stepped out into the sun. Sprinting down the street, dodging pedestrians, he hid down in a man-hole.

You see, Tarince is not the kind of place you want to mess with. In the short time since its founding, it has gained the same reputation as Lunpa, except that instead of thieves, there are angry gamblers who kill people who don't pay their tabs.

Since his friend's death, Garet had spent his days here, in the local casinos, taverns, and sleazy inns, gambling his life's savings away. In this town, there were already dirty streets, grimy buildings, dangerous back alleys, and bathroom graffiti.

Tarince had been founded shortly before the fall of Mt. Aleph. It had been intended as a way-point between Vale and Kalay, a clean, safe place for travelers. The founder had since gone to live in Xian.

Sliding down further into the sewer, Garet lit a fireball, the better to see with. He knew these sewers dumped out near Vale, in an already polluted lake deep in the mountains. He planned on walking the entire length, and to meet up with Jenna and Ivan and Sheba for the first time since Isaac's funeral.

Walking, he noticed the rock that had been used in construction. It was a corn-yellow, and oddly smooth. Garet had been told that not only did it look decent, but it was amazingly cheap.

His steps echoed throughout the tunnels, and he wouldn't have been surprised if his pursuers would find him any second, assuming they knew he had come down here. Of course, he could hear them just as easily.

He walked for hours, passing rat nests, seemingly belonging to beasts gargantuan in stature. Garet hoped to Alchemy he wouldn't run across one. Unfortunately, he did.

The beast hulked over Garet by about 5 inches, and had a coat tinged purple, with spots of dried, red-brown spots. He had great long, yellow teeth, each roughly the length of a machete. The creature apparently didn't care about its hygiene, and drooled and dribbled and spit all down its front, dripping off his teeth, falling on its feet.

Garet drew Apollo's Axe, bracing for the beast to jump on him, to rip him apart, to curse him with its indefinitely bad breath!

But it didn't. It turned around. It – no, _she_, tended to her nest, with five young rats nestled, curled into little balls. If they hadn't been so ugly, they'd have been cute.

Garet continued to Vale, encountering nothing more hostile than that pungent smell of sewer.


	6. Sheba's Story

Nope, I don't own Camelot, Golden Sun, or Nintendo. I wish I did.

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Chapter Six: Sheba's Story 

_Sometimes, things end. Journeys come to a close. Adventures stop, and quests are completed. And when people die, they die. It causes sadness, but when that's gone it's gone. It's over. When a person dies, they die._

_Sometimes, it's not that easy._

Sheba woke, completely refreshed. The dream she had been having moments before she had awoke lost in the infinite folds of the mind, she happy and refreshed.

Finishing her daily routine, (Breakfast, shower, dress) she stepped outside, ready to face the world, perhaps a little more eagerly than normal. But first, she planned to find Ivan. They had agreed to meet at the new fountain, and he was to bring the picnic basket.

It was Sheba's first date.

Sheba was dressed for the occasion. She was wearing small purple shoes, that were both practical for a picnic, but stylish enough she felt Ivan wouldn't be able to not notice. She wore a long yellow dress, stunning in its simplicity. It just so happened to be strapless. Maybe Ivan would notice. Around her neck hung a single pear-shaped ruby, topped with a small diamond. From her ears hung small but noticeable earrings, amethyst rocks in the shape of a small tornado. Her now-long, blonde was left free, hanging on her back, shining in the sunlight. She wore a light fragrance of an autumn breeze. Overall, she looked far more breath-taking than she had when they had lit Mars lighthouse.

Of course, she was still Sheba, and had been incredibly surprised when Ivan had asked her out. Sure, she wasn't ugly, even she knew that. But she was no jewel, at least, not in her opinion. Apparently, she and Ivan didn't quite agree on that.

Stepping into the street, down the road, and to the plaza, Sheba encountered only about a dozen of people. Every one of them turned their heads to look at her, and she began to feel a little shy. She was used to people staring at her. After all, saving the world didn't leave much room for anonymity. Nevertheless, she had never been looked at like _this_. She felt as though everyone appreciated her more, simply for gracing their town with her beauty. She kept walking.

Finally arriving at the agreed-upon and sacred-meeting-place just barely in time, Sheba looked around. Ivan wasn't even here yet! That dunce! He was late for their date! Sheba began fuming. She knew that _he_ knew never to cross her! What was he thinking?

Just as she decided to go find him, and give him a piece of her mind, she spotted him making for her through the crowd, looking like…well, looking like Ivan.

But, he didn't just look like Ivan. He looked like Ivan V.2.0. A much improved Ivan, who had been preparing for this for a very long time. He was wearing new boots, all shiny-an-black. He was wearing dark brown slacks, nice and creased, and a medium-sized leather belt. He wore burgundy tunic, with neat beige trim. He had even tamed his hair back for the occasion. To top it all off, he had brought flowers. And these weren't _just_ flowers. They were_flowers_. They were, all 25, long-stemmed pink roses, the most beautiful you could find, no matter what continent you went to.

Ivan walked to Sheba, savoring every step. After all, how long had he been dreaming of this chance? How long had he been planning it? Well, it'd been a long time. And now, it was finally happening! Ivan, with Sheba! Not Felix, but Ivan! He found that impossible to believe. But it was happening!

Finally, Ivan had found his way through the crowd to her. Sheba stood up and, nearly tripping and falling flat on her rump, she greeted her date with a peck on the lips.

Looking partially embarrassed, but thoroughly proud of himself at the moment, Ivan stated the obvious, telling her, "These are for you."

Sheba nearly giggled. She really did. In fact, the only thing that_stopped_ her from giggling was that she remembered that she wasn't the kind of girl that giggled. Nevertheless, she accepted them with a big great smile, and said "Thank you". They set off, hand-in-hand, to…well, wherever Ivan had planned. He had told Sheba that he'd found a spectacular place for their date, but had refused to tell her where it was. He hadn't wanted to spoil the surprise, after all.

Struggling past the crowd into an alley, then onto a less crowded street and from there, out of town, the couple walked slowly, obviously cherishing the time they had together.

Ivan led her across a few fields, and into the forest. From there, they walked easily, for the path was smooth, and it had been long enough since the last rain for the ground to dry.

Ivan led Sheba around for about half an hour, on occasion traveling in circles. As soon as Sheba caught on, and was about to ask whether or not Ivan had gotten them lost, he smiled at her and urged her up the hill in front of them. As she started to climb, she wondered why they couldn't have gone around. It _was_ a rather large hill.

She got her answer when she reached the top of the plateau, and that was just what it was. Tall, but flat on top, this hill stood high above all the trees around it, allowing for a great view stretching, quite possibly, five miles from where they stood. Sheba swore she could see chimney smoke from town. Ivan chortled.

They stood admiring the view, arm in arm. Eventually, Ivan remembered the picnic.

"Hey, you hungry"

"Hungry? I'm starved!" She said, eliciting a small laugh – disguised as a cough – from Ivan.

"Well, it's a good thing I brought this picnic basket then, hmm?" He said as he crouched down and rifled through the small basket, looking for the blanket to set the food on.

Sheba plopped down on the blanket, and with a ravenous effort akin to that of a Mars Djinni, she grabbed a slab of bread, a mug of coffee, and began to fill her stomach.

Ivan, obviously the more refined of the two, sat down with his legs crossed like pretzels. He reached into the basket and found a bottle of water, and his own bread. Cleanly cracking his bread in half, he took a small bite from one end. He washed it down with a gulp of water. Lather, rinse, repeat.

They talked abut a lot of things. Half of it was about food. Sheba really loved food. Apparently, she was a rather skilled cook. One might hope, with the gusto with which she was eating. Ivan had packed a _lot_ of extra food. Sheba had eaten half of it.

The other subjects they spoke of drifted from dogs, to cats, to birds, to flying ships, to regular ships, to different places, to old friends in different places. From friends in different places, to friends passed on.

By friends passed on, there is of course only one person of whom they spoke of. They spoke of Isaac, and of course, they spoke of the others.

"Isaac…I miss him."

"So do I Sheba. Everyone misses him. He was a great person."

"Have you heard about…About what Felix has been doing?"

"You mean slaughtering people?" Ivan said with disdain. "Yeah, I've heard."

"I can't believe that he'd ever do that. He was always so kind, and brave…"

"Yeah, well…With some people, you can never really know them, you know?"

"I can't believe Jenna. She's become a regular little whorelette!"

"I think she loved him. Well, I know she loved him. She never said it, but I know she did. I didn't even have to read her mind."

"I feel so sorry for her."

"She doesn't. At least, not from 1-to-1," by which he referred to the hours the inn's tavern was open.

"Have you heard from Garet?"

"Not a damn thing. Last I heard, he had some hair-brained get-rich-quick scheme planned."

"What about Mia? And Piers?"

That jolted Ivan's memory. "That reminds me," he said, restating what I just wrote. "That's why I was late. They sent a carrier pigeon. They're on their way here. Apparently, the letter finally found its way to them."

"You mean Mia is coming back? That's good." She couldn't think of anything else to say. She was happy that Mia was returning. They had always been close. But, she knew that her visit wouldn't be all fun and games.

Regretting the turn the conversation had taken, Ivan said, "Hey, did you hear about the new bakery that's going to be put in down the street from my house? It's supposed to be run by Briggs. Apparently, he's trying to make an honest living, away from the sea.

From there, the conversation spanned across cakes, and fudge, and cookies, and tarts, and pirates. Overall, it was a terrific first date. Sheba had never felt happier. The only time Ivan had been happier, was when he had discovered that he'd had a sister.

Returning to New Vale, the new couple laughed and held hands and basically had whatever fun they could. Ivan walked with her to her door, and there, they said their goodbyes. As she opened her door, and as she was passing through the frame, Ivan worked up his courage. He tapped here shoulder, and when she turned around, he kissed her, full on the lips. Surprised, but pleasantly so, she returned his kiss with more passion than when she had given Garet a knot on his head for trying to sell her new puppy, which she had found shortly after Vale' recovery began.

Pulling away, tremendously reluctant about doing so, Ivan said goodbye for real. Waiting until she closed her door, Ivan walked into the street, and began his short walk home.

Leaning against her door, Sheba let the air she had trapped in her lungs escape. All in one day, she had turned heads, had her first date, and had experienced her first kiss. Overall, it had been a good day.


	7. The Rat

Nope, I don't own Camelot, Golden Sun, or Nintendo. I wish I did.

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Chapter Seven: The Rat 

Felix stood on the rooftop, scanning the crowd below. He saw a dog chasing a leaf, barking without a care. He saw a man running through the crowd, picking pockets. He saw a woman, speaking to a group of her peers. He saw another woman stepping out of a restaurant with an ice cream cone in hand. He saw a couple subtly flirting, sitting on the lip of the lucky fountain. He saw a child directly below him, crying over a lost balloon. But no rat.

Noticing the balloon the child had let go of float toward him, he caught it. Leaving the rooftop, he found his way to the crying child.

"I think you let this go," he said.

The child looked at him teary-eyed, and when he saw the balloon in Felix's fist, be began to beam. Handing the boy the balloon, Felix walked off, losing himself in the crowd.

Felix stepped into the tavern that was situated right outside the Collosso stadium. He looked around, and spotted his rat.

_Why are they always in the last place you can possibly look?_

Felix walked to the tavern keeper. He told him that he had been paid to deliver a message to a person in the tavern, but he didn't know him. He asked the owner to tell an Eric Sal that there was someone in the alley for him, delivering his custom-ordered sword. Felix walked out the door and stood in the alley.

Of course, there was no sword waiting for him. At least, not one that was custom-made. However, Felix was counting on the fact that he'd be too wasted to remember that. Sure enough, the drunk stumbled around the corner, into the secluded alley. Felix hid behind the garbage bin, waiting for his prey to step within the shadows…

He was about 5 feet tall, over-weight, bald, wearing a shirt that didn't contain his belly and pants that didn't contain his back end. He had short, greasy hair, apparently intended to be gelled into a mohawk. He wore shoes with the toes worn out, big yellow toenails sticking through. He had fat, crooked, coffee-stained teeth. At least he still had all of them. Not for long.

Felix jumped out at the rat named Eric, and before he sobered enough to realize what was going on, he had been stabbed in the throat to stop him from screaming, and stabbed in the heart to stop blood flow. Soon, his pathetic excuse for a life was over.

A few minutes later, and there was a freshly dug hole in that alley, right underneath the trash bin, where no one would see it. Felix slammed his blade deep into the ground to wipe away any blood, and sheathed his sword.

_Hmph. That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be._

He looked around. It was a nice day. The sun was shining. Birds were chirping. There were few clouds. It was a bright, cheerful day! Felix loved it. Good day, loose ends tied off, kid helped out, people dieing…Yes, Felix loved his life.

Standing outside Z's place, Felix placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. You could never be too careful at Z's. After all, he could just decide not to like you anymore. Walking inside, Felix looked for the man. Deciding he wasn't home, he left a note on the cabinet, saying that the problem had been eliminated, and that Felix was leaving.

Walking outside, Felix started toward Vault. It had been a while since he had been there. While he was there, maybe he'd pay a visit to Vale….


	8. She's Still Alive

Disclaimer:If I owned Nintendo, or Camelot, or Golden Sun, would I be writing fics? No. I'd be making Golden Sun 3 like a good little boy.

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**Chapter Eight: She's Still Alive**

Jenna got up, and looked around her. Her hair was a mess. There was drool in it, and chunks of vomit. There was a stream of dried drool down her cheek. The same with vomit. Her top had miraculously stayed clean, but she had sat in, and passed out in, a large pile of spilt alcohol. Nevertheless, she looked nowhere near as attractive as she had earlier that morning. In fact, she had dark circles under her eyes, crinkles and wrinkles all over her face, and quite a few cuts and bruises all over her body. However, for one of the rare occasions, she was completely sober, except for the bad hangover crashing through her skull.

Hangover aside, she was thinking clearly. So, as anyone thinking clearly would - and should – do in her situation, she bolted as quickly as she could, got out of there, shot through the door, didn't stop to say "Goodbye".

Wincing at the bright light shining into her eyes, she ran out of town and into the mountains. A path had been cut to be about as convenient as a staircase. And indeed, it was because a staircase had been cut into the side of the mountain. Aside from the lake, there was a small building belonging to no one. Its original purpose was unknown, but now it was a popular place for teenagers to come and explore. It was also a popular date-spot.

Over-looking the lake, which had recently become highly polluted due to the sewage draining into it, was a tall cliff. The cliff stopped abruptly and dropped off into the lake, with incredibly jagged rocks below. Story was that a Venus adept used to live below the cliff, which also used to be a waterfall, but when Mt. Aleph erupted, rocks destroyed the place and left only spires in the lake. As for the waterfall, a boulder had diverted flow elsewhere. Kids make up such rumors.

Jenna was standing at the cliff's edge, teetering back and forth, willing gravity to take the choice from her and cause her to plummet. So far, gravity was cruel. It had forced her to continue her miserable existence. She'd been here before; dozens of times, in fact. Every time she'd walked home, a little more disappointed in herself. This time, she didn't plan on walking home.

Garet was rather repulsed by the smell he'd had to deal with. As such, he was ecstatic when he saw the light shine through the mouth of the sewer pipe. Stepping outside, he took a deep breath of relief. Granted, it was still a putrid location, but it was a more open area. He turned to head down to Vale, and noticed Jenna. She was floating in the lake, some feet away from a group of rocks. Blood filled the water.

_Why doe this happen when I'm around?_ He thought. Racing towards the floating body, he expected the worst. He jumped in, cringing at the thought of what his clothes were going through. Swimming towards Jenna, he wrapped his arm around her waist, and one-arm swam back to shore. He dried her off best as he could with dripping hands, and inspected her for major breaks. He caught his mistake, and checked her pulse first. He was relieved to feel a beat.

Looking for the source of her bleeding, he looked at her arm. It looked as if she had broken every single bone in her arm. There were splinters of the white mass stabbing through her skin.

Garet found a pile of flat stones, and with the help of psynergy, melted them into a crude bowl. Then, filling the bowl with water, he lit a fire underneath it, to boil and purify the water. Taking off his shirt, he put it in the boiling water to kill any disease on it, too. When he felt it was no longer a biohazard. Garet ripped his shirt into pieces, and wrapped Jenna's arm up as best as he could.

Bleeding staunched, Garet picked the helpless girl up off the ground and, careful not to hurt her arm more than it was, he ran the trip back to Vale.

* * *

So, Jenna is suicidal now. Garet's a little smarter than you would've thought too, huh? 


End file.
